KnockKnock
by YJTuttle
Summary: Wally really needs to learn how to knock. Warning: scandalous first chapter or maybe it's just me .
1. Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry

This is not my usual cup to tea, but I thought I would branch out a bit and not be such a stick in the mud. This is in response to a prompt on Live Journal:

9 times Kid Flash should've/wished he would've knocked first. And the 1 time he was glad he didn't. KF/Robin.

Bonus: Roy in all his grumpy glory.

Unfortunately for the OP, I'm not really into the whole KF/Rob pairing. To me, they just have a way epic bromance. (This may be due, in part, to my undying love for Dick/Babs). Also unfortunately, I don't know if I can come up with NINE things, but I have four plus THE ONE. We'll see if I can come up with more.

Also, I need to post a warning before you delve into this fic: the first chapter is somewhat scandalous! Definitely means I'm branching out. I thought I'd traumatize you all off the bat. But rest assured, this will probably be the only, the most scandalous chapter in the fic... or in my fanfic writing career.

OKAY! Grab your bag of popcorn, follow the usher, turn off your cell phone and ENJOY THE SHOW!

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><p>Wally West trudged into his aunt and uncle's house and tossed his backpack into the living room.<p>

School sucked. More accurately being at school pretending to be a normal kid sucked. And then switching into hero mode and going off on crazy missions sucked.

Well, maybe the last part didn't suck. It was actually kind of exciting. But, boy, did it take a lot of energy. And it seriously cut into his homework time.

Wally glared at the backpack and the books that had spilled out of it. He had an English paper due tomorrow and he had barely worked on it. English was his worst subject. If he wanted to get it done, he would need help. Which meant he would have to ask Aunt Iris. As a reporter, she was very good with words.

With a sigh, Wally grabbed his English binder and raced up the stairs. Without a thought, he opened his aunt's door and stepped in, scanning his half-finished report.

"So tell me Barry," he heard Aunt Iris saying, "have you been a bad-"

"KID!" Barry yelped.

Wally looked up and promptly dropped his books. Uncle Barry, who was looking at him in horror, was tied to the bed while Aunt Iris was standing above him, wearing a scandalous amount of leather and very little else.

Wally covered his face. "AAAAHHHH! My eyes! My eyes! It burns!" He stumbled backwards, out the door and practically fell down the stairs. "AAAHHHH!"

Screw his English homework. He was going to need to take at least a week off of school for therapy.

He was definitely knocking next time.


	2. Batman and Robin

Wally paced anxiously. How long had he been waiting? Forever, it seemed. He paused, looked around, and then continued his attempt to tread a trench into the floor.

The mission was supposed to be simple. But, like usual, it had turned sideways, fell flat and tumbled down hill and out of control. Wally made a fist and cursed under his breath. Because he had been a hair too slow, Robin was in the medical bay with too many injuries to count.

Batman, of course, had been furious at them. It would probably take a week for them to all fully recover from the tongue lashing they had received. The personal, private verbal beating Aqualad had received must've been particularly intense if his morose demeanour was any indication.

"How long has it been?" Wally asked.

"An hour or so," Artemis replied. Wally half expected her to tack on a snarky comment but she must've sensed his distress and kept quiet.

Only an hour? It felt like he had been waiting for days.

Well, he could only take so much. He had to go see Robin for himself. He had to make sure his friend was still alive and breathing.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Wally zipped to the medical bay where Robin was in a private room. Wally opened the door and stepped in.

Robin was indeed alive and breathing. In fact, he was awake and sitting up. And Batman was hugging him.

Batman! The goddamn Batman who never showed any emotion other than anger was hugging Robin. He supposed it wasn't that far-fetched, especially considering how much of a Mama Bear Batman could be sometimes. But it still surprised him. And amused him all at once.

"Aw! Kodak moment!"

Wally barely dodged the bat-a-rang and bird-a-rang (just where had Robin pulled that out from anyway?) as they flew towards him. Wally slipped outside the room and closed the door, using it to block the projectiles.

Okay. So, mental note: either knock, or keep his mouth shut.


	3. Kaldur

"Gross, gross, gross, gross-"

"Would you stop!" Artemis snapped.

Wally glared at her. "Dude! I am covered in manure! You don't think that's gross?"

Artemis sniffed contemptuously. "I always think you're gross, Kid Dung."

"Oh, haha, please, your rapier wit is killing me."

"Look, if you hadn't stopped to eat, or maybe if you'd just stop whining, you'd be showered and changed by now."

"I was hungry!" Wally protested. "Neither slate nor snow nor big piles of crap can come between a Speedster and his need for food."

Artemis just grunted and turned. Wally stuck his tongue out at her back. Suddenly, Artemis whirled around, bow and arrow drawn. "Go shower. Now!"

Wally's eyes widened. He didn't need to be told twice. Before Artemis could make good on her threat, Wally dashed away and to the locker room. As he stepped in, he could hear water already running. Someone was already there, using a shower. No matter, there were plenty to go around.

Wally peeled off his soiled uniform and threw it in the corner. Aunt Iris was going to kill him. As he got closer to the shower area, he could hear someone singing. In a very high voice.

"_And ready to know what the people know! Askin' my questions and get some answers. What is a fire and why does it- what's the word- burn? When's it my turn, wouldn't I love, love to-_"

Wait… Was that… "Kaldur?"

The singing suddenly stopped and a moment later Aqualad poked his head out from one of the shower stalls.

"Were you just… was that… Dude!" Wally said, flabbergasted. "Were you just singing The Little Mermaid?"

Kaldur blinked and then narrowed his eyes. "Get out."

"But, I-"

"Now."

"Yeah, going," Wally said, backing up. Kaldur must've been studying Batman's intimidation techniques. "Next time I'll… knock or something. Give you time to… choose a manlier song."

Right. Well, a shower could wait. Maybe he'd go bug Artemis for a while.


	4. Artemis

"I'm not ignoring you," Wally whispered. "I just can't…" He looked away and shook his head.

A bit of light reflected off the Helmet of Fate as he turned it over in his hands. It felt like a lifetime ago that he had put on the helmet and had been trapped in some sort of pocket dimension with Kent Nelson. Dr. Fate had wanted to keep him there, to take control of his body permanently so he could keep order in the world. Wally remembered promising him he would find a suitable host for the hero.

That had been months ago. In that time, Kaldur had foolishly put on the helmet in an attempt to save them from the Injustice League. If it hadn't been for Mr. Nelson, Kaldur would be lost to them. But Dr. Fate had released him which meant Wally still had to find a host.

It was a grave responsibility. How could he possibly allow someone to give their whole life to Dr. Fate and the helmet? If they were lucky, Dr. Fate would allow them to live little bits of their lives, as he had with Kent Nelson. But the world had been without Dr. Fate for so long, the hero might just decide to make the arrangement permanent.

And even if he shared, the host's life would never truly be his own. How many moments, how many years had Kent Nelson lost with his wife because Dr. Fate had control?

But then again, how long would Wally make Kent Nelson wait by putting off finding a host?

Wally growled in frustration and sat back, studying the helmet intently. "Maybe I should just-"

"Whatever you're thinking, it's not a good idea."

Wally jumped as Robin vaulted over the back of the couch and plopped down beside him. "I can't just keep him in there indefinitely," Wally sighed.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm sure when the right person comes along, you'll know. So don't worry about it so much."

"Easy for you to say," Wally mumbled.

Robin just shrugged, but cast him a sympathetic look. "Hey, I got a new game. Go put that away and we'll play?"

"Yeah, okay." Wally got to his feet and took a moment to inspect the helmet before dashing off to the trophy room.

When he got there, he found Artemis holding Cheshire's mask in her hands, studying it much like he had been studying the Helmet of Fate. Wally could see a myriad of emotions play across her face. Her face finally hardened as she set the mask back.

"I'm done with you," Artemis growled. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself it was true.

Suddenly, Artemis turned on her heel to leave but stopped dead when she saw Wally. "How long have you been standing there?" she demanded, her cheeks growing red.

"I just got here!" Wally insisted. Artemis just narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. Wally cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Guess I'm not the only one with headgear problems, huh?" he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wally took a step back. "Nothing. I don't know what your beef with that mask is but if you want to talk about-"

"Just leave me alone," Artemis growled, clenching her fists. "And stop sneaking up on people, it's rude!"

"Sneaking? I was not sneaking! I was-"

"Knock next time. Cough politely. Do something!"

"Geez, calm down! I was just trying to be nice. If you don't want to talk about it then-"

"Whatever!" And with that, Artemis stormed out.

Wally winced, half expecting an arrow in the back. Girls. Archery girls. She'd probably make his life miserable for the next week.

Putting the helmet back on the shelf, Wally cast a tentative look to Cheshire's mask. He didn't know what Artemis' deal was, but whatever it was, it looked like a heavy burden to bear.

Somehow, he got the impression that the weight of his responsibility was feather light in comparison.

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><p>And that's all there is for now. I'll probably write another chapter soon, but the point is, this is all that has been written to date.<p> 


	5. M'gann

This is a really long one and the whole "knock before you enter" thing is just wedged in there. Mostly it was just a chance to have Artemis and Wally have a moment.

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><p>Nothing like a fresh pan of burnt cookies to make his day even worse. Still, it was food and he had a very high metabolism to maintain.<p>

Wally sighed as crunched down on the cookie. It was hard as a rock. Maybe some milk would help.

"No energy," Wally moaned, casting a forlorn glance towards the fridge. He rested his cheek on his hand as sighed pathetically again. "Need milk," he whined.

"Oh for the love of-" Artemis stomped into the kitchen and yanked open the fridge. "Here's you milk, Kid Whiney!" She slammed the jug down on the counter in front of him.

Wally's eyes lit up as he grabbed it, popped off the cap and brought it up to his lips to drink.

"Glass!" Artemis cried before he had a chance to take a sip.

"Cupboard," Wally sighed. "Too far away. Need energy. Can't make it."

"I cannot believe I have to do this for a perfectly capable _superhero_!" Artemis growled.

"Hey, no one asked you to," Wally pointed out.

She just glared at him and set the glass down by the milk. When Wally made no indication of moving, Artemis huffed and poured some milk into the glass for him. "I know no one asked, but you're just so pathetic. And that is _not_ a good thing. It's not adorable, it's not cute or clever. It's just plain pathetic. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

"You sound like my mom," Wally grumbled as he dunked his charred cookie into his milk. He sighed again.

Artemis was quiet for a moment and Wally could feel her gaze on his, studying him like a bug under a microscope. Finally, she sat down on the stool beside him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Wally mumbled.

"Fine."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Wally tried not to look at Artemis, keeping his eyes firmly planted on his milk glass. But he could feel the archer watching him, waiting for him to crack and tell her what was on his mind. Why did she even care? It wasn't like they were friends or anything.

Well, he'd just ignore her. She'd go away eventually. And if she didn't, well, there was no way he was going to tell her what was wrong. She would just laugh. Call him pathetic again. And he'd deserve it. Gosh, he was worthless. What kind of a speedster…

Wally sighed at that thought and the memory of failure it quickly brought to mind. "You ever feel like you'll never be good enough?" Wally finally whispered.

Beside him, Artemis arched an eyebrow. "Sometimes, I guess…"

Wally shook his head and looked down. "Never mind."

"No, what is it?" Artemis urged. Wally glanced up at her. She really did look concerned. Her! He really must be pathetic to elicit her sympathy.

"You know, I got my powers because I wanted to be just like The Flash. I did all these experiments, nearly got myself killed, but it was worth it. But I'll never be him. I'll never be as fast or as smart or…" Wally sighed.

"Where is all this coming from?" Artemis asked.

"I… I tried to vibrate through a wall today. Just ended up with a bloodied nose. Like always."

"So… Maybe it just takes time. Practice. You'll get the hang of it eventually." He glanced at his doubtfully. "Look, I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when I first started archery."

"Really?" Wally asked, perking up. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Artemis was a great shot. She could probably give Green Arrow and Roy a run for their money.

"Well, no," Artemis admitted somewhat sheepishly. "But that's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" Wally grunted.

"The point is, you just can't go comparing yourself to everyone else. Don't sell yourself short. After all, you're the best speedster we've got on the team."

"I'm the only speedster on the team," Wally grumbled, but he felt a little better.

Artemis just shrugged, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Best is best, don't question why. So don't worry about vibrating through walls so much. You do just fine the way you are. Don't rush things. And when you do learn, well… just make sure you don't go through any walls you shouldn't!" Artemis waggled her eyebrows, making Wally laugh.

"Thanks Arty."

Artemis' eyes suddenly narrowed. "Don't call me that. Creep!" And with that she stormed off, leaving Wally completely clueless.

Wally's gums flapped for a moment. All he had done was call her Arty. Sure, she didn't like the name but… but they were finally getting along for once! Surely she could've let the nickname thing slide! Women. Archery women. They were so frustrating. Hot one moment, cold as ice the next. He had half a mind to race after her and… and… and kiss her or something.

Whoa! Wait. What? Where the heck had that come from? Gross. Disgusting. Wally shook the horrendous thought from his head and kicked it across the room.

Glancing down at the milk, an evil smirk crossed his face. Oh, he wouldn't kiss her, but turn about was fair play. If she could go from nice to frustrating in an instant, so could he.

Wally jumped off his stool and raced off in the direction Artemis had left in. "Hey Arty, you left the milk-" He opened the door to her room and stopped. "Out…"

Okay, wrong room. Very wrong room….

But since when did a white, freaky looking monster have a room in Mount Justice? "Umm…"

The white monster gasped and held up a clawed, three fingered hand. Wally immediately flew back through the door and hit the wall outside. With a groan, he fell to the ground. Something tickled in his mind and the edges of his vision went black. The rest became blurry and garbled. Before he went unconscious, he could barely make out a green figure with red hair hovering over him.

Wally groaned. Where was he? What happened? What…

"Wally?"

"Artemis?" Wally cracked open an eye, instantly regretting it as the bright lights assaulted him. He groaned again and covered his eyes with his arm. "What… Where am I?"

"You're here. In the cave."

"Cave?" Wally repeated. That wasn't right. The last place he remembered being was at home. "How…"

"You tried to vibrate through a wall. Gave yourself a bloody nose."

"Wha?" Gingerly, Wally touched his face. His fingers came away coated in blood. "Dang it. Must've been bad if it knocked me out. I don't even remember trying it. I don't even remember coming to the mountain today."

"So I guess you don't remember the whole 'you're the best, don't worry about going through walls' heart to heart we had?"

Wally snorted incredulously. "_We_ had a heart to heart? You? Me?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Whatever, Kid Moron. Here." She tossed him a cloth and got up. "And the next time you ignore my good advice, you'd better hope that all you get is a nose bleed." And with that, she marched off, muttering to herself about how dumb he was.

Wally rolled his eyes. He didn't remember her good advice, but next time, he would just avoid talking to her all together.

Women.

Archery women.


	6. Plus Roy

He should've known better by now. After being nearly killed, scarred for life, and threatened more than once, he really should've learned that one should always knock before entering. He should've passed the knowledge on to Robin too. He should've convinced him that this was not a good idea.

But Robin had a way of making anything sound like a good idea. So when his best friend suggested that they break into Roy's apartment and party with him like the good old days, Wally didn't argue. In fact, he agreed wholeheartedly. After all, Roy had been a real grump lately; he needed to lighten up. And a surprise all-night gaming marathon was just the ticket.

"I've analyzed the entire layout," Robin said as he studied at his holoscreen. "That window there is the best point of entry."

Wally clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Mwahaha! This will be epic. No one can resist the dynamic gaming duo of Kid Flash and Robin!"

"Why do I get second billing?" Robin muttered as he pulled out his grappling gun.

"Because anyone can be as awesome as Batman when they have 'and Robin' tacked onto the end of their name."

Robin just rolled his eyes before grabbing Wally's wrist and jumping off the edge of the roof. Wally held his breath and shut his eyes. He hated the feeling he got when he was midair, swinging on nothing more than a rope, only Robin's strength keeping him from certain death. His heart dropped into his stomach as the arced back up. Robin flung him forward, letting him go. Wally landed ungracefully on the rooftop of Roy's building. Robin dropped gently beside him, stifling a giggle.

"I hate you," Wally growled.

Robin smirked and shrugged. "Come on, epic gaming night awaits." Robin hooked a line on the edge of the roof a rappelled down the side of the building until he came to Roy's window. Wally grabbed the line and slid down it, stopping just above the other sidekick. Robin pulled something out of his utility belt and soon, the window silently opened.

Robin looked up and grinned at him before stepping onto the window ledge. Wally joined him and brought a finger to his lips. "Shh… One, two, three." Together, the burst into Roy's room.

"Honey, we're-"

Wally's announcement died in his throat when he caught sight of Roy. The other ginger was seated in a chair on the other side of the room, his shirt off. There was a tourniquet tied around his upper arm and he grasped a needle in his other hand.

"Wha… wha…" Wally couldn't form any words. His brain was stuck on the fact that his good friend was going to inject himself with… just what the heck was he injecting into himself? Wally didn't want to consider too many options.

Roy looked up in surprise, his eyes growing wide. "What the- what are you guys doing-"

Suddenly, Robin stepped forward, hand going to his utility belt as if he were about to pull a birdarang out at any moment. "Drop it. Now," Robin growled, his voice low and deadly.

Roy jumped to his feet. "Don't tell me what to do, Boy Wonder. You have no idea-"

Wally's mind suddenly got past its road block and as fast as he could, he ran towards Roy and swiped the needle out of his hand. Before anyone could blink, he was back at Robin's side.

"What is this?" Wally demanded, mimicking Robin's Bat-tone.

Roy narrowed his eyes. "None of your damn business. Now give it back and leave."

"Not a chance. Here, Rob." Wally handed to needle over to Robin.

Robin held it up and inspected it. "Don't," Robin warned. Wally looked back at Roy to see he had grabbed his bow and arrow and had it aimed at Robin.

"I won't have to if you leave now," Roy shot back, pulling his bowstring back a little more.

Robin ignored him and shot a bit of the contents of the needle out onto his glove. "Analyze," he said. There was a moment where none of them moved, the only sound was Roy's angry, heavy breathing. Robin suddenly tensed. "Seriously, Roy?"

"What? What is it?" Wally asked, keeping a wary eye on Roy's arrow. He wouldn't really shoot them, would he?

"Why Roy?" Robin asked, ignoring Wally.

"Like I said, none of your damn business. Now don't make me shoot you."

"I doubt you could even if you wanted," Robin scoffed. "Been a while since your last hit? Bet the shakes throw off your aim. You'd just hit the wall. Or maybe you'd misjudge and instead of getting me in the shoulder, you'll get my heart- kill me on the spot. You willing to risk that? For this?"

"I won't miss," Roy growled dangerously. "Give. Now!"

"Both of you, cool it," Wally said as he calmly stepped between the two. He turned to Roy and tried to keep his voice even and gentle to contrast Robin's venomous tone. "Roy, what's going on, man?"

Roy glared at him and for the first time, Wally noticed his hands were shaking. Finally, the older boy looked away. "It's my problem," he whispered so quietly that Wally barely heard him.

Wally glanced back at Robin who mouthed the word. Heroin.

The disappointment slapped Wally across the face and he felt his heart skip a beat. He had no idea what to do. He could barely even comprehend that this what happening. Roy. Red Arrow. Doing drugs? It seemed impossible. And yet, there was no way around it. How long had it been going on? Why? Why on earth would he do this to himself?

Wally took a deep breath in order to keep his voice level. "Roy…"

"Just go," Roy mumbled as he dropped into his chair. "Take it, do what you want. Just go."

"No. No way," Wally said adamantly. He honestly didn't know what to do. But he did know that Roy was one of his best friends and there was no way he was leaving him alone at a time like this.

Gingerly, he knelt beside Roy and rested a hand on his knee. "This isn't just your problem. We're your best friends; we're not leaving you to get through this on your own. Whatever you're dealing with, whatever is going on, we're going to be right here to get you out of it."

"What if I don't want your help?" Roy asked. He sounded hollow and tired.

Behind him, Robin took a deep breath and stepped forward. "We're not just going to stand back and let you do this to yourself. Fight us all you want, but we're not leaving."

"Come on, Roy, let us in," Wally pleaded.

Roy looked up to meet his gaze and held it for a moment. Finally he let out a long breath, slumped in his chair and nodded.

Wally got up and squeezed the archer's shoulder. Robin came around the other side and the two shared a look over Roy's head. Neither knew what the road ahead looked like. It would probably be long and hard, but they would all walk it together.

For once, Wally was glad he hadn't knocked.

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><p>Completed! Thanks for reading!<p> 


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